Help Launch RCSI’s First Student-Led Global Health Initiative in Malawi

In the southern lakeside district of Mangochi, Malawi, access to health care and HIV prevention is starting to vanish.

Following the recent freeze of USAID funding, Malawi, a country where USAID previously covered ~13% of the national budget (1), is facing a public health crisis. Clinics are understaffed, supplies have run dry, and vital HIV prevention programs like PrEP have been abruptly halted. For communities like Mangochi, this will have devastating consequences. As it stands children are diagnosed with HIV without proper support, teenagers go without proper medication and most community members must travel all the way to the capital just to learn basic sexual health information.

In the words of Mona Lisa, a resident of Malawi:

"Just a few days ago, I had a conversation with a 7-year-old girl who lives down the road. She has HIV, but she doesn’t want to take her HIV medications anymore. I didn’t know how to tell her she needs to keep taking her medications."

This is where you can help us make a difference....

Citations

1) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/09/malawi-left-in-dire-straits-by-trump-decision-to-freeze-aid

Our Vision

We are a group of passionate student leaders at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), working to establish RCSI’s first-ever student-led global health initiative. This work is supported by Ann Piercy, a native of Malawi and coordinator for HIV Ireland, in addition to global health experts Dr. Pittalis and Dr. Gajewski, who have experience leading groups such as SURG-Africa, COST-Africa, kidSURG and Akazi. Together we aim to support communities in Malawi while empowering students with ethical and immersive experiences in global health.

With your support, we will launch this initiative via a needs assessment in Malawi this summer, 2025. Two students, Matthew Linvill and Collette Murtagh will travel to Malawi and work closely with local hospitals, universities and community leaders. They will identify Malawi's most urgent public health challenges and learn how students can help and lay the groundwork for long-term collaboration.

This is just the beginning. From this needs assessment, we will develop a longterm student program open to all RCSI students (medical, dental, physiotherapy, pharmacy and physician associates) offering education, fieldwork, and sustainable partnerships with Malawi-based institutions.

Why This Matters For Malawi

+) RCSI students will contribute to local health universities near Blantyre, Malawi. This may include RCSI students...

+) Students will assist operations at Billy Clinic and Mulibwanji Hospital by:

+) Students may support projects including

+) Students will raise funds to support local medical needs, including:

+) Students may assist Dr. Jakub Gajewski and Dr. Chiara Pittalis with future iterations of the project, by collecting data to support public health efforts in Malawi.

Citations

2) https://www.unicef.org/malawi/media/11916/file/Nutrition_Budget_Brief_2024-25.pdf

Why This Matters For Students

+) Students will gain real-world global health experience through direct involvement in care and education

+) Students will collaborate with local medical students and professionals, fostering cross-cultural exchange

+) Students will attend academic courses near Blantyre, Malawi to...

+) Students will participate in:

+) Students will learn essential skills in: